You Stay
by Marymel
Summary: Jackson and Greg talk to Nick after the events in "Homecoming" and "Karma To Burn."


**Jackson is my original character, but I don't own CSI.**

**Decided to post this after watching reruns of the season 12 finale, "Homecoming," and the season 13 première, "Karma To Burn."**

**I love writing my Jackson stories, and I have to admit some of my very favorites are with Jackson and his Uncle Nicky. So I wondered...with Nick threatening to quit at the end of season 12 and coming back in season 13, how Jackson might give him a pep talk. So here's what I came up with. I hope you enjoy...and pretty, pretty please review.**

After working their latest case, Greg Sanders invited his best friend Nick Stokes to lunch with him and his son, Jackson. After everything he'd been through in the past couple of weeks, Nick happily agreed. He adored Greg's son, and looked forward to spending an afternoon with them.

Jackson happily chatted with Nick and Greg as they enjoyed lunch in Greg's living room. Nick could see so much of Greg in the way Jackson loved to learn and loved spending time with people he loved.

"Uncle Nicky, do you like chocolate chip pancakes?" Jackson asked as he enjoyed his sandwich.

"Sure," Nick said with a small laugh. "Is that what you had for breakfast this morning?"

Jackson nodded. "Aunt Judy makes da bestest! An' she alway hab extra chocolate milk."

"That's very important," Nick said, smiling at the little boy. Jackson happily nodded.

Greg smiled in awe at his son, and loved spending time with Jackson and his extended family. Leaning over to Nick, Greg said, "Come on...you would've definitely missed this."

Nick smiled softly. "Yeah."

Jackson heard his father's question. "Uncle Nicky, what does daddy mean, you miss me?"

Nick smiled thoughtfully at the innocent child. "Well...with everything that happened with Katie...I thought about leaving."

Jackson stared at Nick. "You go way?"

Nick shook his head. "No, I'm staying."

"You stay?"

Nick glanced at Greg and smiled at both of them. "Yeah...I'm staying."

Greg smiled. "I think...with everything that happened to Katie and Morgan's daddy, we all got mad."

"But Katie okay," Jackson said. Looking at Greg, he said, "An' you an' Uncle D.B. say da people who try to hurt her won't eber hurt her again." Greg nodded.

"That's right," Nick said. "But when I thought they'd keep hurting people after they hurt other people...I thought I couldn't make a difference."

"What dat mean?"

"It means that I thought I couldn't do anything to stop them."

Jackson thought for a moment. "But you an' daddy an' ebrybody did."

Greg smiled softly. "Yeah. The people who hurt Katie and Morgan's daddy won't be able to hurt anyone else, and Katie and Morgan's daddy are just fine."

"So...you did make a diff...diffence."

"A difference," Greg said with a smile. Looking at Nick, Greg added, "That's because we didn't give up."

Nick smiled softly at his best friend and godson. "Yeah, we didn't give up."

"You didn't give up?" Jackson asked.

Greg and Nick nodded. "It's like...remember when Mrs. Barbara and I taught you to tie your shoes?" Greg asked. "Or when you fell off the slide at the playground and skinned your knee?"

Jackson nodded. "I got owie, an' it hurt!"

"Yeah. Remember how you didn't want to get back on the slide?"

Nick raised an eyebrow at Jackson. "_You _didn't want to get back on the slide? Your dad says you love that."

"Yeah," Jackson said with a giggle. "I fell off da slide an' I fought I fall again. But daddy say I can get back on da slide."

"Mm-hmm," Greg said. "And what happened?"

"I slide an' I didn't fall down!" Jackson proudly said.

"See?" Greg said. "You didn't give up then...and your Uncle Nicky didn't give up either."

"Yeah!"

Nick chuckled. "Yeah."

Greg smiled. "If something's important to you...like your family and friends...you stay and fight for them."

Nick nodded. "Yeah...and you and your daddy are very important to me."

Jackson smiled and climbed on Nick's lap. "You very impotant to me, too. I glad you stay."

"Aw," Nick said as he wrapped his arms around the sweet child. "I'm glad I'm staying too."

Jackson pulled away and smiled at Greg. "Daddy, you happy Uncle Nicky stay?"

"Yep," Greg said with a smile. Looking at his best friend, he added, "I really am glad you're staying."

"So am I," Nick said with certainty. Smiling, he added, "Where else could I get these big hugs?" He tickled Jackson's ribs, causing him to laugh. Nick and Greg both laughed too.

When he settled down, Greg smiled at his son with Nick. Even if they weren't related biologically, they were still family.

Nick saw Greg smiling at him and Jackson. "What?"

"Just...admit it - we're family. You would've missed this."

Nick smiled at the father and son. Like Greg, he knew they were a family. He'd been the first to meet Jackson when he came to live with his father, and he loved Greg and Sara like they were his siblings. He pulled the happy, innocent boy into a hug.

Jackson pulled away and smiled. "I love you, Uncle Nicky. An' I glad you stay."

"Aw...I love you and I'm glad I'm staying, too."

Jackson smiled at his father. "Daddy, you happy Uncle Nick stay?"

"Yeah. We're a family...right, Jackson?"

"Right!" Jackson said with a big smile.

**The End**


End file.
